| Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine, is about a 5th grade girl who has Asperger's, which means that she processes information differently than most people. She has to work hard to understand others' emotions in order to have empathy for them. She also lost her big brother, Devon, to gun violence. She and her dad must find ways to come to closure about Devon's death. This is a very sad story, but if you want to learn more about children or people with Asperger's this is a touching and emotional book to explore! |
0 Comments
It was wonderful meeting you all on Meet the Teacher Day! Check back here for book reviews, reading/writing skills, anchor charts, and other learning resources!
Follow me on Twitter @MrsChangGrove to check out our learning in school! Twelve-year-old Catherine keeps a notebook of rules because her eight-year-old brother with autism is a stickler to them, as rules help David make sense of his world. This is a heartfelt story of Catherine’s search for normalcy in her life as a caretaker of her brother, and as a girl who wants to have friends despite her complicated family life. She navigates her relationships with her new neighbor, Kristen, and paraplegic friend, Jason, with caution, questions, and tenderness. This story addresses many struggles and motivations surrounding children and families with disabilities, and attends to themes of compassion, belonging, and special needs challenges. Great read for people of all ages. Kate DiCamillo has a magical way of making me feel revelry in her stories. This is about an orphaned young man searching for his baby sister, who he believes to be alive. A series of events and people—including a fortuneteller, a magician, and a policeman—proceed to make happen this impossible task. Perhaps it’s her poetic prose; perhaps it’s her story about hope, love, and faith; or perhaps it’s her characters who communicate with their eyes. However she does it, this story is like fairy dust that makes the ordinary magical. Experience the magic with the elephant, Peter, and the mysterious town of Baltese. In the summer of 1968, 11yo Delphine takes her younger sisters from Brooklyn to Oakland to spend some time with their estranged mother, Cecile. Though they longed for their mother’s love and acceptance, Cecile is neither motherly nor responsible, and sends them to a Black Panther summer camp where they eventually learn about voice and action during this time in the black community’s political turmoil. The most interesting part of this book is Delphine’s voice and character; she is strong, responsible, sensible, yet still filled with a child’s innocence and purity. She is the motherly one who takes care of her sisters Vonetta and Fern. Her humor balanced with her self-righteousness make the story come alive in this funny, serious, sad, and powerful book. Understanding Cecile’s struggles and motivations made me sad, but the ending was as comforting to all the characters as it could possibly be. This story is a combination of missing-person mystery, tribute to words/poetry/Langston Hughes, and an introduction of homelessness to young readers. A family of four (Dash, Summer, Early, and Jubie) dreams of owning a home, and yet because of a string of incidents—including Dash going missing—has to move into a shelter. Summer begins to fall apart as her husband’s disappearance wears on her, and Early must take charge and find out what happened to Dash using her smarts and Langston’s rhythms. Themes include struggles of shelter life, the bond of family love/traditions, and the value of perseverance. There is a lot going on in this story, but it certainly makes you think about the significance of homes, family, a sense of belonging, and an awareness of social inequities.
There are 5 text structures in nonfiction texts:
Identifying text structures will help students better understand the text by outlining the parts in a simple graphic organizer (see blow), and also better help students summarize a text. Transition words help glue parts of the essay together as well as assist with the flow of the piece. They introduce reasons and transition to examples.
Pushing-your-thinking statements help students express their thoughts beyond list-making with examples. They ask students to push their thinking one step further to prove why their reasons are strong enough to support their claim by reflecting on the examples they chose. They are also called prove-it statements. Below are some starts to help students push their thinking further. Students use this graphic organizer to help them plan an essay to include all components for a strong and convincing essay. Lead: the introduction of an essay that includes a hook, thesis statement, and 3 reasons.
Hook: a few sentences to hook readers; introduces the topic of your essay. Thesis statement: the writer's claim. Reasons: support the claim. Evidence: at least 3 examples to support each reason. Transition words: adds flow to the essay; introduces new reason or evidence. Pushing-your-thinking statements: statements that help prove the reason to support the claim by pushing your thinking one step further than just listing examples. Conclusion: a strong ending to the essay; includes a restatement of the claim, a reflection of the thesis (write reasons with different words), and a suggestion of action or response to readers. |
AuthorTeacher, reader, writer, lifelong learner. Also mother, nurturer, and believer in kindess and gratitude. Archives
October 2017
Categories
All
|